​With millions of shipping containers around the world transporting cargo most people would expect that the number of containers would be carefully itemized but incredibly, the incidences of loss are often unaccounted for. Only in the last decade, have surveys of the ocean-carrier losses been taken and such reports often use estimated data.
Find out more at: pilotonline.com/business/ports-rail/it-s-hard-for-ocean-carriers-to-get-data-on/article_9d776698-58ee-5f2c-a3c7-d859b29affed.html

​In the event of a maritime incident, salvage companies and tug boat operators are crucial to providing safety and environmental services. These emergency situations are reliant on salvage and tugboats because as TUG Technology & Business states, “Tug operators are usually one of the first on the scene of a shipping accident, saving seafarers lives, recovering cargo, mitigating losses for the industry and preventing pollution.” Unfortunately, these services are being put under pressure as they try to deal with financial struggles they are facing from a under-appreciative industry.

Find out more at: www.tugtechnologyandbusiness.com/news/view,salvage-operators-feel-the-squeeze-as-purse-strings-tighten_48743.htm

Experienced Port Official, Captain Mike Moore, explains how to navigate through the litany of Port and Environmental regulations. Captain Moore details some of the history and the political discussions that arise in the cargo transportation world and points out how the regulations can affect the industry. In his article, he states “Cargo, jobs and economic well-being of ports, regions and our country depend on trade and the efficient movement of goods. Cargo diversion due to ill-advised regulatory overreach, confusion and cost does not do the economy or environment any good.”

Read the article at www.maritimeprofessional.com/news/port-environmental-regulations-charting-best-307400

Colorado is one step closer to having rules and regulations regarding nonconsensual heavy-duty tows. 

The Colorado Public Utilities Commission released a proposed set of regulations on Wednesday, April 12. The commissioners will soon vote on the proposal. 

A nonconsensual tow generally includes all law enforcement-dispatched tows to clear the roadway after an accident. In these situations, truck drivers aren’t afforded the opportunity to check the prices and services offered by multiple tow companies. 

Find out more about Colorado's proposal at Landlinemag.com 

High wind speeds can pose many challenges to truck drivers, so it is important that they are aware of the area and if there have been any recent travel restrictions. As evidence by the tragic accident that occurred at the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel yesterday afternoon. While there were no travel restrictions at the time of the wreck, high wind speeds caused restrictions earlier in the day. The Bay Bridge-Tunnel Police Department is now investigating the accident to rule out any other factors. 

To find out more, go to www.pennlive.com/nation-world/2017/02/tractor-trailer_plunges_from_c.html

A new report predicts major retail container ports will see a 4.4 percent increase in imported cargo volumes this month ahead of the holidays.

The monthly forecast from the Global Port Tracker also indicates that December "should see a slightly larger increase" in retail imports than the November projection. The report, issued by the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates, also pointed out that cargo volumes for ports covered in the survey rebounded in October after showing a decline in September.

"Retailers are importing more during the holidays this year than last year and that can only mean one thing – they expect to sell more," Jonathan Gold, the federation's vice president for supply chain and customs policy, said in a statement. "Most of the holiday merchandise is already here, but retailers are still restocking to be sure shoppers will have a broad and deep selection as they hit the stores over the next several weeks."

Telsey Advisory pointed out in a research note Tuesday that promotional discounting tied to the holidays has already started and indicated that inventories appear to be "much leaner in the department store channel compared to last year."

Cargo volumes for the full calendar year are expected to be up 2.2 percent from a year ago. It follows the first half of 2016 with a slower 1.6 percent pace in volumes when compared with the year-earlier period. The monthly tracker covers about a dozen ports, including Los Angeles, Long Beach and Oakland, California, and New York/New Jersey and Miami.

Overall, the federation is still forecasting holiday sales will be up 3.6 percent this year when compared with last year. That is above last year's increase of 3 percent but could prove to be overly optimistic given recent softness in the retail space.

JPMorgan analyst Christopher Horvers said in a note Tuesday that some weak retailer results have raised concerns about the overall consumer retail environment. "If the consumer doesn't bounce post-election, we worry that this late cycle weakness looks more like a recession," he said.
The latest tracker forecast also sees monthly cargo volumes moderating in early 2017. It predicts February cargo volumes will fall 3.2 percent from the year-earlier period after a forecast for January's 3.6 percent growth.

According to Hackett Associates founder Ben Hackett, U.S. imports continue to grow but at a slower pace than in past years.

"Despite all the good economic news recently, we are faced with imports growing only about 2 percent this year," he said in a release. "Whether that is merely part of the aftermath of the Hanjin bankruptcy or a sign of weakening demand is not yet clear. Unless there is a major disruption, however, growth should be modest but sustained during the first half of 2017."

​Jeff Daniels | @jeffdanielsca
Tuesday, 8 Nov 2016 | 6:46 PM ET

WEARE TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WOOD) — Nearly 150,000 pounds of apples were spilled when a semi-truck heading from Sparta to Ludington rolled over on US-31 in Oceana County Tuesday morning, northern Michigan news outlets report.

The crash happened around 10 a.m. near Monroe Road in Weare Township, near Pentwater, the Oceana County Press reports.

The semi was hauling about 80,000 apples weighing in at about 149,000 pounds, according to the Press. They were meant to be used in making applesauce. Photos from the scene show the semi trailer overturned, smashed crates and the apples scattered across the median.

The semi driver, 62-year-old Dennis Radford of Grand Rapids, told the Press he doesn’t know what caused it.

“It happened so fast,” he told the Press. “I was driving along, hit the brakes, and I ended up here. … Some rescue guys came right away, cut the seatbelt loose, and got me out.”
​
He sustained minor injuries and was treated at the scene.

NEW CASTLE, Del. (WTXF) - The left lane of I-95 northbound is now open again, according to Delaware State Police, but the latest from SKYFOX at about noon shows traffic is still backed up for miles.

The trouble started more than ten hours ago when a tractor trailer collided with a jersey barrier in a construction zone, causing it to flip and spill blank pennies all over the highway, shutting it down.

The accident just before 2am forced all I-95 northbound traffic off at Exit 5A, Airport Road. Since that’s just before the I-295 eastbound split which leads to the Delaware Memorial Bridge, traffic to New Jersey and New York was also affected.

​It took five hours for crews to cut away the truck with steel hacksaws and get it towed away, but there was still lots of work to be done at the scene.

​
​Bob Kelly compared traffic to a parking lot, saying it was backed up for miles to Route 273. Five lanes were narrowed down to one. There was no access to Wilmington or the Delaware Memorial Bridge. He suggested getting off at Exit 4, which is the Christiana Mall exit. Then, take Route 1 south to Route 13. Other possible alternatives are Route 4 and Route 2.

​Steve Keeley reported the road was very slippery ahead, even to walk, like an ice rink possibly from a fuel spill. The crash happened at 1:53am when the tractor trailer hit a tall concrete barrier. Possible causes are construction and rain.

​
There was also a new sign in the construction zone that may have caused the driver to lose control while trying to skid to a halt.

At one point, there was a crane with braces at the scene, trying to clean up the truck, but it wasn't easy.

​The truck spilled 40,000 pounds of blank pennies all over the road, especially the right lane. They were headed to the mint in Philadelphia to be stamped. A cleanup truck has already been at work, but Keeley reported hearing them scrape against the concrete, leading him to think they’ll be shoveled up, along with other debris.

He also said there doesn’t look like the road was damaged, despite a minor fire since the crash was so violent.

And police say the driver "has suffered minor injuries and is currently being assessed at the scene."

​Published by: www.Fox29.com

As the Blue Cut wildfire settled down overnight and fire lines shifted, major routes for commercial trains along the Cajon Pass were open Thursday, helping to ease a bottleneck of cargo containers at Southern California’s ports and along rail lines.

Two train routes in the Cajon Pass came back on line late Wednesday as the fire receded. But two remained closed, including one along which a Union Pacific bridge was damaged by flames.

Crews scrambled Thursday to get the damaged lines — one operated by Union Pacific, the other by BNSF — back on line to further ease the logjam of stranded cargo.

“It created a backlog,” said Lena Kent, a spokeswoman for BNSF Railway. “But, none of our employees were hurt, none of our trains caught fire.”

BNSF Railway, which operates three tracks snaking through the pass, said trains were running on two of their routes after a 30-hour stoppage. No BNSF infrastructure was damaged.

Union Pacific’s lone line through the pass remained unusable after fire charred a 145-foot-tall bridge on its path, just north of Cajon Junction. Wood ties along the tracks and the approach sustained damage.

“We are still rerouting (trains) around the fire in coordination with BNSF,” said Justin E. Jacobs, spokesman for Union Pacific.

Still, the green light allowed shippers to finally haul cargo parked for more than a day along rail tracks or at port terminals at Long Beach and Los Angeles.

The routes through the Cajon Pass serve as a major shipping artery connecting Southern California and to Las Vegas and the Midwest. Tons of goods such as appliances and clothes unloaded from ships at the Los Angeles and Long Beach ports are carried by locomotives bound as far away as Chicago. More than 70 trains a day run through the rugged San Bernardino Mountains. The pass is also a major route for truckers bringing goods to and from distribution warehouses in the Inland Empire.

“Now, it’s a matter of getting priority trains through the area,” Jacobs said.

With cargo still backed up, Kent said trains are moving “a bit slower than they normally do through the pass” and some customers could expect a 48-hour delay.

In the meantime, BNSF is deploying water trucks in the area to assist firefighters in protecting their tracks. The third track, though not yet operational for moving cargo, is being used by engineers to inspect tracks.

Thursday afternoon, Union Pacific was still assessing damage to the bridge. “Crews are out there now, putting together a plan to restore the construction integrity of the bridge,” said Jacobs, who estimated Union Pacific would have repairs done by early next week.

But, with flames still surging ahead, Kent warned “The fire could be a threat to our operation depending on the wind.”

By Rachel Uranga, San Bernardino County Sun - Full Article

In a weird and clearly reactionary move after Elon Musk announced that Tesla will venture in the semi-truck business, electric truck startup Nikola Motor, which like Tesla borrowed its company name from Nikola Tesla, announced that it will unveil a working prototype of its first truck, the Nikola One, on December 2nd in Salt Lake City.

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It is not every day that a mega containership such as CSCL Indian Ocean gets stranded. Therefore, in order to pull such a boxship free it is necessary to employ quite an armada.

The video shows the refloating operation of the 2015-built vessel, one of the world’s biggest boxships, conducted on Tuesday, February 9, by German maritime authorities in the river Elbe.

Namely, the salvage operation was launched at 2am by a fleet of 12 tugs, including Union Manta of Boskalis and Fairmount Expedition, six tugs of Bugsier and four tugs of Kotug Offshore and Smit Salvage, two water police boats, the Do228 of CCME, a medical emergency team of the fire brigade Cuxhaven and the multi-purpose vessel Neuwerk.

The 12 tugboats provided a total bollard pull of 1085 tons on scene. Once freed, the containership was taken to the Port of Hamburg by five tugs.

The CSCL Indian Ocean was en route to Hamburg on Wednesday, February 3 when it ran aground on the Elbe near Lühesand at about 22:00 hrs. The reported cause of the grounding is a failure in the navigation system.

Credits: ​World Maritime News Staff; Video: Inselvideo

MONTGOMERY, New York (WABC) --
At least one person is dead and several others are hurt after a multi-vehicle crash in Orange County Wednesday afternoon.

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