Pack n send is reprinting this article from Time.com as a service to our customers.  While this article states that the idle barges along the Mississippi, does not directly effect consumers, this shut down does affect businesses on the Gulf Coast.  The crop going for overseas shipping, are not leaving the Gulf Coast Ports. This does effect the jobs and livelihoods of companies and individuals along the Gulf Coast.

Time.com 

Barges and their towboats accumulate alongside the Mississippi banks of the Mississippi River near Greenville, Miss., Tuesday, Aug. 21, 2012. Officials with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers say low water levels …more  that are restricting shipping traffic, forcing harbor closures and causing towboats and barges to run aground on the Mississippi River are expected to continue into October. 

Close to 100 tows sit motionless in the shriveled  Mississippi River along an 11-mile stretch outside of Greenville, Miss. For every day a single towboat sits idle, it costs about $10,000. So when you’ve got at least 97 of them stranded, those costs start piling up quickly.

As the Midwest experiences its worst drought in 50 years, the Mississippi Riveris hitting water levels not seen since 1988, a year viewed by those in the industry as a benchmark of hard times. Back then, hundreds of barges sat idle near the same location that they’re sitting today: Greenville.

Until now, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers had successfully kept river traffic moving by dredging the river, keeping it at a depth of at least nine feet along its 2,300-mile length all summer, only closing ports here and there temporarily.

But barges and towboats have now piled up nea rGreenville, forcing the Coast Guard to close an 11-mile stretch to shipping this week. That closure will really start to pinch shipping operators who use the country’s inland waterways to deliver a host of commodities, goods and products across theU.S.

It’s difficult to determine exactly how much is being lost due to stopped river traffic. For one, many of the companies along the river are not publicly traded and don’t release financial information.

“Everybody is making guesstimates,” says Dr. Donald Sweeney of the Center for Transportation Studies at the University of Missouri-St. Louis. “But it all depends on how long the drought lasts.”

The point of reference is often 1988 when the shipping industry lost an estimated $1 billion. Currently, 100 tows sitting idle at $10,000 a piece is costing operators $1 million daily. And that’s not factoring in the lighter loads that cargo companies have been forced to carry to stay afloat, as well as the smaller number of barges being towed because the river has become narrower. And while the Coast Guard has reported 97 tows backed up along the river, that number’s growing.

“More tows are joining the queue by the hour or have just decided to hold where they are now,” says Lynn Muench of the American Waterways Operators via e-mail Tuesday afternoon. “Most tows will wait further upstream or downstream for the sake of safety, so there are a lot more waiting that we are unable to count.”

Muench says the best-case scenario for opening up the 11-mile stretch for safe passage could take at least several more days as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers continues dredging the area. Bloomberg News reported that the Coast Guard expected to open up northbound traffic Tuesday, but it will likely take days to get all of the stalled barges moving again.

CEO of the Port of New Orleans Gary La Grangehas estimated that closing the river to shipping altogether would cost the industry $300 million a day. Even with the low water levels, it doesn’t appear that the situation will get as bad as it did in 1988. But for the $180 billion industry, which transports 20% of the country’s coal and 60% ofU.S.grain exports (much of it along the Mississippi), the costs are beginning to mount.

Fortunately, U.S .consumers aren’t likely to see much change in prices for farm products like corn, which is widely transported along the river. That’s because most crops shipped on the inland waterways are export-bound, says Sweeney. But shipping operators are initially going to be squeezed, and depending on what products they ship – which can be anything from petroleum to heating oil to chemicals – those costs could eventually be felt by consumers later in the year.

“There won’t be hardly any impact to U.S .consumers for products like corn or soybeans,” says Sweeney. “Who it’s really bad for right now are the barge companies. They are without a doubt incurring greater costs.” And those costs will get worse every day there’s a stoppage.

“The daily costs increase as more and more vessels are delayed and it takes longer and longer to ultimately return to normal operating conditions,” says Sweeney. We’re unlikely to know how much until the drought has ended and barge operators return to business as usual, which at this point doesn’t seem likely for months.

Pack n send does not ship on the Mississippi, but does pack, crate and freight furniture and office equipment from Houston, Texas. To contact pack n send, please feel free to call 713 266 1450.

As reported by  Elaine Kurtenbach with the Associate Press, China is now assessing duties on car and sport utility vehicles made in the United States.

 These duties come a time when US auto makers are trying to pull out of the recession.

 At this point, the duration of the duties set  by the Chinese government are set to last  for two years.

 Not only does this tax effect the car manufacturers, it also effects the bottom line of both shipping companies and  ocean shipping lines.

 The maritime industry ships cars over seas, and shipping companies ship the spare parts for repairs and accidents.

 In this global economy, excessive duties and taxes hurt more than one industry.

 The United States was already at a disadvantge since the Chinese gonvernment already offers subsidies to Chinese manufactured vehicles.

 In some ways the Chinese governemnt is doing what US consurmers have asked their government to do. They appear to be protecting Chinese jobs.  Vehicles made in the United States can be considered outsourcing of manufacturing..something the Chinese are attempting to avoid.  

Pack n send has international shipping and does not face these obstacles in many of the over 200 countries where we ship for our customers.

 For information on packing, freight,  crating, cargo and international shipping, please feel free to contact pack n send at  713 266 1450.

Pack n send discovered this information on Shipping World and Ship Builder on Linked in.

We have republished this article as part of pack n sends series about companies and innovations in the shipping industry that are going green.

Infographic: Eliminating emissions from ships in port with shore-to-ship power.

2011-09-12 - Onshore power supplies allow ships in the harbor to turn off their diesel engines and tap into cleaner energy sources.

Over 90 percent of the world’s cargo is transported by ship. Thousands of vessels carry this cargo around the globe and, along with cruise ships and private yachts, arrive at ports every day. Once in port they burn fossil fuels to maintain essential operations or onboard services to their passengers. This practice impacts the local environment, producing emissions, noise and vibrations, which affect the comfort of passengers and in the long-term affects the health and local environment of dock workers and port area inhabitants.

Fortunately ABB’s shore-to-ship power provides a solution to these problems. To illustrate this issue ABB has prepared an infographic highlighting the problems faced by ports around the world and the social and economic advantages to be gained from shore-based power connections. Shore-to-ship power connects vessels to the power grid providing benefits to ship owners, port authorities and utilities alike and is applicable to any vessel at any port.

ABB will be showcasing its shore-to-ship power technology at the Green Port Congress in Hamburg between the 14-15 September 2011.

To learn more, visit ABB Port Solutions.

For more information about freight and cargo shipping from Houston, please feel free to call pack n send at  713 266 1450.

 Notes: ..." title="Pennsylvania R.R. [Railroad] ore docks, unloading iron ore from a lake freighter by means of "Hulett" unloaders, Cleveland, Ohio (LOC)" class="draggable ui-draggable" style="top: auto; left: auto;" />

US-Started in 2nd Quarter of 2008, the Transport Capital Partners’ (TCP) quarterly Business Expectation Survey acts as an indicator of the state of the American freight trucking market by canvassing industry executives across the country. The company’s most recent study, for the second quarter of this year, found the carriers’ responses have essentially remained unchanged for the last four quarters on capacity plans. The carriers were generally reserved about increasing haulage capacity via acquisition or truck purchases, and the survey attempts to highlight the reasons.

When carriers were asked if they had been able to find reasonable credit, over 80% indicated they had.TCPPartner Richard Mikes, founder of the survey feels this indicates that the credit constraint issue is behind most truckers compared to the first quarter of 2009 when only half the carriers reported reasonable credit and points out most new truck orders are for replacement vehicles.

“TCPexpects the second half of 2011 to likely show a greater capacity gap as freight volumes expand and carriers remain conservative on additions” remarked Lana Batts,TCPPartner and the survey concludes that larger carriers (over $25 million in revenue) are more conservative with 32% not adding any capacity compared to 24% reported by smaller carriers. Thirty-nine percent of carriers intend to add some capacity with one quarter acquiring contractors.

Batts and Mikes note that this level of additions indicated in the survey result in truck supply conditions forecast in an earlier TCPwhite paper and are generally still on target favouring carriers. Both partners with extensive experience in transportation directed the survey and analyzed the findings. TCPcouples the survey results with conversations they hold with carriers and others in the industry to present an insightful dialogue on key issues. Interested parties can see more details on the TCP website.

Pack n send has taken this article from the Handy Shipping Guide. We are constantly following trends in the freight industry.  With thirty- nine per cent of carriers expecting to add some capacity during the second half of 2011, this indicates an upbeat attitude for freight shipping in theUnited States.  This  follows the outlook forEuropeas well.

For information about freightFreight HoustonMoving Houston, moving, cargo shipping and container loading fromHouston, please feel free to contact pack n send at 713 266 1450.

Pack n send is happy to report new purchases in the freight industry worldwide.

 INDIA- Surat-based Siddhi Vinayak Logistics Ltd. (SVLL) has made the largest order for medium and heavy trucks by any single operator in India by purchasing 1,111 such vehicles from Tata Motors with all the vehicles to be delivered by March, 2012.

SVLL currently operate a fleet of over two thousand vehicles and advertise themselves as one of the fastest growing companies in the field of road freight transportation in the country, moving diverse products from steel and cement to military hardware and planned expansion into the perishable produce sector.

Mr. Vinod Sahay, Head of Sales & Marketing (M&HCV Trucks) at Tata Motors said, "We are delighted to receive this order and would like to thank SVLL for their continued trust in our brands. We will be commencing deliveries in this month and plan to complete the order by the end of this financial year."

Though the value of the sale has not been revealed it is thought to be in the region of 1.5 billion rupees (£20.5 million / $33.5 million).

Mr. R C Baid, Founder and Director of Siddhi Vinayak Logistics Ltd said that:

"We purchased the first Tata vehicle in 1988, and since then have been purchasing their trucks. We appreciate the quality of Tata products, customer engagement initiatives and their extensive service network. We would like to continue our association and expand our business with Tata Motors vehicles. It is in this light that we have placed a bulk order of 1,111 vehicles."

The sale is the latest success for Tata, which states that the company’s sales rose by 12% in May. With increased foreign interest from the likes of Daimler and Scania in the Indian truck market, maintaining its position with such customers as SVLL will be increasingly important for the Indian manufacturer.

 This article is from the Handy Shipping Guide. 

 For packing, shipping, moving, freight and cargo shipping, please feel free to contact pack n send at 713 266 1450.

More Upbeat News from the Freight Industry

ETHIOPIAN Airlines is adding to its fast-growing freighter fleet by dry leasing two 777Fs from GE Capital Aviation Services.

The 10-year lease agreement for the new aircraft will begin when they arrive from Boeing Manufacturing in Seattle (US), at Addis Ababa Bole International Airport (Ethiopia) in September and October 2012.

Ethiopian has also ordered five 777s, two of which have already arrived; a third is expected in June. The airline is still waiting for its 10 787s.

In March Ethiopian announced plans to double capacity at its Bole International Airport cargo hub. The airline is also gearing up for the opening of a new hub in Zambia. From 1 May the carrier began flights with cargo capacity to the Chinese city of Hangzhou.

Over the last five years the amount of cargo handled by Ethiopian Airlines has more than doubled from 42,000 tonnes to 110,000.

 CHINA Southern Airlines is giving Boeing's order book a boost with an agreement to buy six 777Fs.

The aircraft, to be delivered between 2013 and 2015, have a list price of US$1.58 billion with the purchase being funded by bank loans and China Southern’s operating fund.

The 777Fs will boost the airline’s cargo capacity, measured in available tonne kilometres, by 8.4 per cent.

China Southern is not a new customer for Boeing. Earlier in May the Chinese firm announced that its Xiamen Airlines subsidiary would buy six 787 Dreamliners costing $1.1 billion. The aircraft are due to be delivered between 2014 and 2015.

In November 2010 China Southern had agreed to buy 36 aircraft from Airbus for $3.78 billion. Rival Air China said in March this year it would buy five 747-8 passenger aircraft with a combined list price of $1.54 billion.

 Pack n send has reprinted these articles from Air Cargo News.  They show that the world wide economy is improving.

 For information about cargo, moving and freight shipping, please contact pack n send at 743 266 1450.

Pack n send found this information on the Port of Houston website and have reprinted it for our customers to read.  With the expansion of the Panama Canal, it is expected that the Port of Houston will see even more use. 

The Port of Houston Delivers

First and Foremost from the Very Beginning The Port of Houston and the Houston Ship Channel have an impressive list of “first” accomplishments.

 • The Houston Ship Channel was the first project to have a local match component. In 1909, Houston Mayor Horace Baldwin Rice and Congressman Tom Ball presented the “Houston Plan” to the U.S. House of Representatives Rivers and Harbors Committee. Congress approved it, and every port constructed in the U.S. since 1910 has followed this concept, which guarantees local financial support.

 • The first direct shipment of cotton to Europe was 23,719 bales that left the Port of Houston in November 1919 on the M/V Merry Mount.

 • By 1930, the Port of Houston had surpassed all its Texas rivals and ranked third in the U.S. for foreign exports. 

• In 1937, the Port of Houston reached the status of second only to New York in tonnage and importance, according to Fortune Magazine. Its position slipped slightly during World War II, but by 1948, the Port of Houston was once again No. 2 in overall tonnage.

 • Synthetic rubber was mass produced for the first time in 1943 by two new Houston area plants and shipped for use in World War II through the Port of Houston.

 • After World War II, development of the petrochemical industry along the Houston Ship Channel accelerated, resulting in the Port of Houston becoming home to the nation’s largest petrochemical production complex and one of the largest in the world.

 For information about freight and  Port of Houston, please feel free to contact pack n send at 713 266 1450.

Ocean Freight Vessels May Have Armed Escorts Through Pirate Waters.

 Wheels of Power Slowly Turn Toward Private Security Option

 SOMALIA – UK – WORLDWIDE – The scourge of piracy, particularly in the Gulf of Aden and the waters beyond, would seem to be facing a threat of its own as the powers that be tire of the continual attacks on merchant shipping and their inability to respond effectively. Privately armed security detachments accompanying container, general cargo and bulk freight vessels travelling through the danger zone seem to have been given tacit acceptance, if not approval, after long discussions at the London headquarters of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) in past weeks.

The IMO met between the 11th and 20th May and interim guidance on the employment of privately contracted armed security personnel on board ships transiting the high-risk piracy area off the coast of Somalia and adjacent waters was approved by the 89th session of the IMO's Maritime Safety Committee (MSC). Two documents were produced, one aimed at ship owners, ship operators, and ships masters, the other at flag states, both aimed at addressing the complex issue of the employment of private, armed security on board ships.

Despite a note of caution regarding the possibility vessels may also come under the jurisdiction of port and coastal states’ law, ship owners are advised that flag state laws and regulations apply when private security is employed aboard. Flag states in turn are reminded that they should have a clear policy on the employment of privately contracted armed security personnel (PCASP) aboard their vessels. They should also take into account the possible escalation of violence which could result from the use of firearms and carriage of armed personnel on board ships when deciding on their policies.

The IMO is at pains to point out that its interim advice should not be considered as an alternative to the Best Management Practices and other protective measures to deter piracy off the coast of Somalia and in the Arabian Sea area. The organization is openly worried about an escalation of violence if the use of armed guards increases but, as most attacks occur from fast skiffs attacking with machine gun and rocket propelled grenades being fired into the targets superstructure, many may consider the pirate gangs fair game. Certainly a reciprocal volley of tracer fire from the deck of a tanker into a light skiff is likely to be more frightening, and effective, than the assault on the larger vessel.

The IMO are also keen to avoid these advices as an endorsement of the use of violence against the pirates and point out the potential legal ramifications of such tactics, however they have been forced to act in an attempt to impose some sense of order to what promises to otherwise be a free for all with different nations, and indeed shipping lines, adopting ad hoc policies in their response to the threat. More statements on the subject can be expected at the IMO’s September meeting.

Pack n send has reposted portions of this article taken from the Handy Shipping Guide. We still find articles about pirates amazing in this time and age.

For information about freight and cargo shipping, please feel free to contact pack n send at 713 266 1450.

 The Houston Chronicle in an article written by Holbrook Mohr and Allan Sayre  is reporting that the Mississippi river was reopened on Tuesday  north of New Orleans on Tuesday.  This  allows cargo vessels to pass through slowly. 

 The  river was closed at Natchez, Miss on Tuesday  delaying ships going towards the Golf of Mexico. It also blocked vessels heading north. 
Since this is one of the nation’s busiest waterways, this closure has the monetary  of millions of dollars every day that this water way is closed. 

 The Coast Guard is monitoring the river and advising that all vessels steer along the middle of the river.

Traffic is advised to proceed slowly to decrease the strain on levees.  At this time, some of the barges can not proceed on the river because the water has submerged some docks and other docks are at the level of the river.

 Pack n send will continue to monitor the water level on the Mississippi River and it effects on freight and cargo shipping  in the coming weeks. We will post updates on our blog.

 For information about freight and cargo shipping both domestically and internationally, please feel free to call pack n send at 713 266 1450.

 CHINA – Strikes undertaken by Chinese truck drivers in Shanghai are reported to have been wound down on Sunday after the local government ordered container shipping and freight distribution centres to cancel or reduce fees for unloading containers, road tolls, and night-time loading.

Local observers report that the waiting lines of vehicles are now moving and logistic services in the city, one of China’s major freight hubs, are returning to normal.

The strikes, which began on Wednesday last week, were in response to rising costs that are being experienced by the country’s freight sector due to escalating inflation, pushing many truck drivers earnings down substantially.

The rapid reaction by the Chinese government is seen as a further sign of how concerned the ruling Communist party is with the economic situation, with inflation reaching 5.4 percent in March, almost the highest level in the last three years.

However, the underlying problems caused by increasing inflation, as well as the alleged corruption amongst freight forwarders seeking to add additional charges to truckers, are largely unresolved and means that it is entirely possible that we shall see renewed industrial action within China’s logistic industry in the future.

Pack n send has reprinted this article from Air Cargo News as a service to our customers.  If freight disruptions occur worldwide, pack n  send attempts to keep our customers informed.  From this article, it there may be interruptions in the future as China adjusts to its robust economy.

 For freight or cargo shipping from Houston, Texas, please feel free to contact pack n send at 713 266 1450.

Houston Freight Company Sees More Environmentally Correct Freight Practices in the Future. 

 In Europe a firm with nine partners and assistance from the European Union are analyzing a new generation of electric vehicles. The next generation of batteries will be used for freight deliveries.  These batteries are expected to be placed in cars, vans and small delivery trucks.

With reduced vehicle weight and reduced charges for the cost of the batteries, a win situation is expected for the environment. 

 They anticipate a twenty kWh battery pack that will have twenty five percent more power than the standard batteries currently to be found in electric vehicles.  They also anticipate a reduced size and weight of these more powerful batteries. 

While the distance for the batteries is 140 miles per charge, this is still better than the current batteries.

The information above was found on Handy Shipping Guide website.

Pack n send is currently monitoring. information on both trends in the freight industry.  We look at both new purchases equipment as well as going green initiatives. Since freight and cargo are a precursor to economic activity world wide, we feel that these articles will help other companies plan for future freight shipments. Pack n send has been environmentally conscious since we opened almost thirty years age.

 For more information about freight and cargo shipping from Houston, feel free to contact pack n send at 713 266 1450.

Environmentally sound choices being made by freight and cargo industry.

 Port of Los Angeles signs contract with Vision Motor

The Port of Los Angeles has signed a $1.4m contract with Vision Motor of El Segundo, California, a manufacturer of advanced zero emission hydrogen fuel cell hybrid electric commercial heavy-duty trucks to retrofit 15 Port owned electric trucks.

The company said that the retrofits would upgrade the Port's electric truck's battery only system with its range extending, hydrogen fuel cell electric hybrid system.

The Port will initially issue a purchase order for six retrofits and the remaining retrofit orders are contingent on the availability of other grant funding.

The intent of the retrofits with the company's hydrogen fuel cell system is to extend the driving and operating range of the Port owned fleet of battery only electric trucks.

Thus alleviating operating down-time caused by range limitations of battery only trucks pulling heavier cargo loads.

Vision CEO Martin Schuermann said the company's technology combines the superior power of an electric drive train with the extended range of a hydrogen fuel cell system and it allows for zero emission operations without sacrificing driving range.

Vision Motor vice-president of business development Rudy Tapia said the company is pleased to provide a solution that enables the Port of Los Angeles investment in zero emission trucks to meet the demanding needs of the commercial market place as well as furthering the Ports commitment to improving air quality by reducing emissions.

 Pack n send has republished this article taken from the Los Angeles Times as another in our series of articles on the freight industry’s concerns with improving the environment.

For information about freight and cargo shipping and packing and unpacking, please contact pack n send at  713 266 1450.

30-Mar-2011

EXCLUSIVE to Air Cargo News, Swiss WorldCargo reveals its 2010 performance and highlights what is in store for 2011.

Volume load factors for 2010 reached around 83 per cent, the company said, with the first two months of the year resting at an 80 per cent average.

Swiss WorldCargo only markets the belly capacity of the Swiss fleet, comprising 80 aircraft – 26 for long and 54 for medium and short haul flights.

The aircraft fall into two categories: widebody aircraft such as the A330-223 and A340- 300, which are used on long-haul flights and when fully loaded can carry up to 23 tonnes of freight in addition to passengers; and narrowbodies, which are used on short and medium-haul flights and have a maximum freight capacity of around three tonnes.

These capacities are augmented by the belly capacity of the Edelweiss Air fleet (3xA320, 1xA330-200 and 1xA330-300) and by a finely meshed trucking network in Europe and North America.

New Swiss WorldCargo destinations launched in 2010, thanks to the cooperation with Edelweiss Air, included Goa, Kilimanjaro, Mauritius, Plata, Pristina, Puerto, and Skopje.

New destinations to be launched in summer 2011 in cooperation with Edelweiss Air are Anchorage, Beijing and Beirut.

 Pack n send has reprint this article from AirCargo News as a service to our customers. Pack n send is constantly looking for upbeat news in worldwide shipping.

 For information about shipping from Houston Texas, please feel free to contact pack n send at 713 266 1450 for your freight, cargo and container needs.

 Gadhafi Son Wooed in Houston Port Ahead of Revolt

Khamis Gadhafi Toured a Major U.S. Port, American Universities a Month Before Protests Began in Libya

By BRIAN ROSS and WAYNE DOLCEFINO

March 25, 2011 

Moammar Gadhafi’s son Khamis meets U.S. business executives at the Port of Houston in Texas just a month before a popular revolution threatened to topple his regime.

This week, U.S. officials were describing Khamis as the "bloodthirsty" commander of an elite unit of the Libyan Army. Unconfirmed reports said he may have been killed after a maverick pilot flew his plane into military headquarters in Tripoli.

Khamis' tour of the U.S. was sponsored by an American engineering firm that does business in Libya, AECOM of Los Angeles, according to business executives briefed on the event.

In Houston, Khamis was given a tour and briefing by officials at the city's Port Authority, according to documents and photographs obtained by ABC News, as part of what a spokesperson called "an educational visit" connected to an "internship associated with his Masters of Business Administration" at an unnamed university. The tour included a maritime security presentation by a former U.S. Coast Guard Commander.

 Pack n send is republishing this article as part of our series on events and occurrences at the port of Houston.

 For information about shipping freight, cargo and containers please contact pack n send at 713 266 1450.

 JAPAN

At the request of the Japanese government, a subsidiary company, MOL Ferry has cooperated to transport members of the Japan Self-Defence Forces (JSDF) who were assigned to rescue operations in northeast Japan. This afternoon, four ‘Sunflower’ ferries, Sapporo, Furano, Shiretoko and Sunflower Daisetsu, started taking on the task of transporting vehicles and members of the JSDF from Tomakomai in Hokkaido to Aomori, which is close to the quake-stricken area.

Regarding the status of MOL vessels the company tell us the only vessel directly affected from their fleet was the MOL-chartered C.S. Victory (Flag: Panama, 20,212 Gross Tonnes),which was swept toward the breakwater by the tsunami and now rests on the bottom of the shallow harbour at Ishinomaki (Miyagi prefecture). All the crew members left the vessel on orders of the harbour master, and none were injured. None of the cargo of kaolin or fuel oil has spilled from the vessel so far.

MOL will announce further developments regarding the aid program as they unfold and we shall publish them as they happen. Together with MOL we at the Handy Shipping Guide of course express our heartfelt sympathies to the families and friends of those who lost loved ones in the earthquake.

 Pack n send has reprinted the portion of the article describing sea assistance from Handy Shipping News.

For further  updates on assistance offered by freight and cargo companies, pack n send in Houston will try and keep our blogs updated for our customers.

 For other assistance in shipping, freight and cargo preparation in Houston, please contact pack n send at 713 266 1450.

BOOMING demand from Asia is keeping aircraft manufacturers happy, with the likes of Hong Kong Airlines and China Eastern Airlines ordering freighters at a rapid pace.

China will help the Asia-Pacific region account for a third of global plane deliveries over the next 20 years, Boeing said. Rival Airbus said it expects airlines in Asia to take delivery of 8,560 aircraft in the next 20 years, representing a third of the global total.

In early March, Hong Kong Airlines agreed to buy six 777 freighters from Boeing. Meanwhile, Boeing’s 747-8 freighter version has won 74 orders from customers including Cathay Pacific Airways, an Air China affiliate.

Also this month, China Eastern Airlines, which operates a mix of Airbus and Boeing freighters, has revealed a massive expansion plan of 250 extra aircraft by 2015. In four years the fleet will total 588 units comprising 531 passenger aircraft, 30 freighters and 27 utility aircraft. As of 30 June 2010, the Shanghai-based carrier operated 338 aircraft, comprising 320 passenger aircraft and 18 freighters.

Once again, Cargo Shipping News has reported upbeat news about shipping in the Asian sector. This article taken from Cargo Shipping News does bode well overseas economies. Any increase in demand is felt worldwide. Pack n send continues to scour the web for upbeat information about cargo and freight.

 For packing crating, shipping, freighting or moving services from Houston, TX, feel free to call pack n send at  713 266 1450.

Exports from Houston and Galveston increased to $95billion last year from $75 billion in 2009, and that's higher than the $90 billion exported from the region in 2008. Oil led the exports, bolstered by stable, relatively high prices. Crude ended the year at $91.38 a barrel, up about $10 from the start of 2010.

Last year's imports of $117

billion, while up from $92 billion in 2009, were below the $151 billion recorded in 2008. Oil also led the gains on the import side.

Rise in drilling equipment

Higher oil prices helped drive more demand for drilling equipment and cargo that crossed the Port of Houston's docks last year.

Houston's Palletized Trucking has moved more oil field equipment, containers and other cargo lately, and now it's hiring truck drivers again.

It's also planning to increase rates 5 percent to 7 percent this year as prices have increased for fuel, trucks and labor, said Michael Rex King, Palletized Trucking's president and CEO.

His sales were up 20 percent to 25 percent in January compared with the same month in 2010.

For the full year of 2009, sales dropped by 40 percent.

Joachim said World Trade Distribution's business has picked up 15 percent since last October, but it is still 15 percent less than 18 months ago.

"That's still a significant hit," Joachim said.

As trade rebounds, companies must react to find equipment and space on vessels after shippers reduced capacity in the last 18 months.

Pack n send has republished portions of this article written by Houston Chronicle journalist Jenalia Moreno.  We look for positive upswings in the Houston and US economy for both freight and cargo.

 For more information about packing, crating, cargo and freight shipping from Houston, Texas please contact pack n send at 713 266 1450.

With new homes adding chandeliers as enticement to purchase homes and older residences  adding chandeliers as an  enhancement,  chandeliers are now being shipped throughout the world

Most chandeliers are now made out of crystal, wrought iron, wood or ceramic.  

 For shipping purposes specialized crates must be for each chandelier. The crates need to be lined with Styrofoam, and then the chandelier must be  hung for shipping. The chandelier needs to be braced or fill the space with peanuts for safe travel.

 For crystal and glass chandeliers pieces will need to be cushioned separately with soft Styrofoam or bubble wrap. Each and every chandelier will need to be looked at separately to determine the safest way to pack it for safe shipping. Designers and private individuals ship chandeliers as well as individuals purchasing chandeliers for overseas shipping.

Office buildings throughout the country are hanging chandeliers in their atriums.

In Texas, deer antler chandeliers are popular.  These also require special wrapping and packing before placement inside specially made crates.

When looking for someone to crate your chandelier look for a company that has expertise shipping delicate and high value items.  Make sure that you chandelier is fully valued for both loss and damage.

For more information on safe chandelier shipping, please fell free to contact pack n send at 713 266 1450.

 Once again, The United States is accepting airfreight from Yemen. Back in October of 2010 two Untied States bound parcels that originated in Sana’s International Airport were discovered. This was part of a bomb plot that has been blamed on Al-Qaeda.

 It appears that security measures are now in place at Yemen’s airports.  A team from the Untied Sates has looked at Yemen’s s airports and determined that air cargo originating in Yemen can be shipped safely.

 We are still waiting to obtain updated information if other countries are also accepting freight from Yemen.  The United Arab Emeritus had also tightened security at its airports in order to closely monitor goods from various countries including Yemen.

 Even though the air embargo on Yemen has been lifted, al Qaida in Yemen can still try and move its operations to other countries in order to circumvent embargoes.

 While pack n send does freight receiving, we have not received packages from Yemen at this point in time.

 For information about freight shipping and/or receiving in Houston, Texas, please feel free to contact pack n send at 713 266 1450.  We can also assist in  world wide cargo shipping, freight forwarding and crate building.

The company aims to replace most of its 14 747 freighters over the next three years with 747-400s. The carrier also operates two 777Fs with four more on order.

Southern Air has committed to leasing five 747-400SFs, with two to be delivered this year and three next year. The carrier is also looking at a potential third aircraft for 2011 and a fourth for 2012.

 Once again, pack n send is able to report more good news in the freight, air cargo and shipping industries for the United States.

 With the purchase of airplanes it shows that companies are now planning on increasing fleets and are anticipating more robust business in the near future.

 We think that infrastructure purchases along with the last few months reports of increase in domestic freight shipping bodes well for both the United States and world wide economy.  While we are optimistic, we are constantly watching fuel price increases to see how they affect the shipping industry as a whole. Air Cargo New originally printed the article above.

 For more information about air cargo, crating and packing and sea freight please cotact pack n   send at 713 266 1450.

If you need to move small amounts of furniture from one city to another, it may be less expensive to freight the furniture than to put it on a truck and move it.

Furniture freighting involves securing the furniture on a pallet, surrounding the furniture with protection and stretch wrap, and shipping the furniture via truck to its new city. Antiques can be shipped this way, as well as office furniture and household goods.

As an ultimate price saver, the furniture can be delivered on a pallet to your curb or loading dock, and you can unload it. Of course you have the option for the freight company to unload the pallet and bring the furniture into your home or office.

Furniture is shipped this way to market.  By securing your furniture to a pallet, there is minimum human contact with the furniture. The furniture is moved via lift equipment. Items are custom packed for safe and secure shipping.

This is just another way to save money when shipping with Pack n Send. Do you have furniture to move somewhere in the country? Contact us for a free furniture shipping quote. We can freight your furniture anywhere in the country, or any where in the world.

 Please call as at 713 266 1450.

  US – UK – After the   recent discovery of explosive devices in freight consigned via passenger aircraft at two airports there was a review of security by politicians of both countries with British Home Secretary Theresa May and Transport Secretary Philip Hammond meeting with  U S Homeland  Security  Janet Napolitano during her London visit last week, to discuss the overall situation and the implementation of new techniques and procedures for verifying cargo safety in the future.

Last week Ms Napolitano announced the scrapping of the much derided ‘Traffic Light’ system for identifying security threat levels and its replacement by a threat specific alert christened the ‘National Terrorism Advisory System’ and the high level discussions are believed to have concentrated on establishing unified programmes for cargo inspection centred around securing the supply chain.

New procedures and initiatives agreed with the World Customs Organization (WCO) and with the cooperation of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), whose Secretary General Efthimios Mitropoulos also had talks with the Homeland Security secretary whilst she was in the UK, are the first step in ever tightening controls.

The main thrust of the new initiatives seem to be designed to improve the odds for the security services who are currently very dependent on what Ms Napolitano describes as the ‘better intelligence streams’ the authorities are benefitting from by introducing a ‘Trusted Shipper’ programme and redoubling efforts to inspect any freight that lacks a spotless pedigree.

Such a programme may well weigh heavily against smaller freight forwarders who lack the muscle of the major shipping groups to whom the loss of such status might prove catastrophic. The scheme will parallel the trusted traveller schemes in which US residents can volunteer large amounts of personal information, including biometric identity, to ensure a rapid transit through airport passenger security checks.

Pack n send has reprinted this article taken from the Handy  Shipping News as a service to our customers.  With increasing worldwide security, we try and provide our customers with the latest adjustments in shipping.

 For more information on Houston shipping, packing, crating, cargo, freight and container shipping, please contact pack n send at 713 266 1450.

  BOLSTERED by the news of the UAE lifting its ban on accepting cargo shipments, Yemen held fresh talks on 16 January to lift the EU ban.

In an effort to alleviate concerns the minister of transport Khaled al-Wzir briefed the EU delegation on Sana’a International Airport’s attempts to strengthen security, handling and personnel programmes.

New security equipment has been installed at passenger and cargo areas. Additional security measures are in place, including a full physical search of all employees entering or leaving the airport and a 100 per cent search of all packages and cargo by means of explosive detectors. X-ray equipment and detaining of all packages and cargo for 48 hours prior to shipping have also been endorsed.

Staff at the airport including 260 security and customs personnel and 10 maintenance and technical equipment personnel recently partook in US-led training programmes on operating the explosive detectors.

In December the UAE lifted its ban after supervising a five-day training course for 26 air cargo and air shipping security personnel at the airport. The ban was imposed in October after the discovery of a plot to use explosives hidden in freight shipments to blow up cargo airliners bound for the US.

In January talks with the EU the minister made it clear that relationships with shipping companies have been re-addressed as well as regulations, licenses and procedures required in order to allow such companies to carry out safe shipping operations.

We have reprinted this article from Cargo  News as a service to our customers.

 For assistance with cargo shipping from Houston, palletizing and crating feel free to contact pack n send at 713 266 1450.

freight forwarding houston texas  

 If we had not seen the attached picture, I  am not sure that we would have even read the attached article. In the United States companies are diligent and meticulous about weighing containers more than once to make sure that ships are weighed correctly. We are reprinting portions of this article and the picture from Handy Shipping Guide so that our customers can see what happens in other areas of the world. 

Shipping Container Weights-A Freight Fraud that Can Cost Lives

UK – WORLDWIDE – Once upon a time it was cube cutting that was the fraud of choice for the world’s freight forwarders but with the burgeoning trade in full load containers (FCL’s) over the past few decades, often stuffed with consolidated cargo from different consignors, a new and potentially much more dangerous, problem has arisen.

Under declared tonnage in shipping containers, deliberate or not, has the potential to put lives at risk. Gantries, fork lift trucks and other handling equipment may not be up to the strain and, in worst case scenarios, ships can be incorrectly loaded leading to instability.

 “On the 1st December, the World Shipping Council (WSC) and the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) announced that they were urging the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) to establish an international legal requirement that all loaded containers be weighed at the marine port facility before they are stowed aboard a vessel for export. This has major ramifications for ship owners and terminals alike as the IMO is unlikely to ignore these two powerful bodies.

“Implementation of any legislation on this subject is clearly some years away but terminal operators would do well not to leave everything until the last minute. As the WSC/ICS announcement makes clear, this information should be made available to ship planners and will mean modifying the data links between the machine weighing the containers and the terminal’s operating system.”

The organisers of the conference have expressed a belief that because this is recognised as an important safety issue, some carriers may be prepared to pre-empt any IMO legislation by voluntarily introducing weighing at certain terminals. The general consensus at the conference was that those carriers who operate their own terminals would be best placed to do this, followed closely by those terminal operators with particularly strong links to specific carriers.

One point stressed by several delegates was that it is important to weigh ALL containers, including empties. Apparently there have been a number of cases where ‘empty’ containers have been found to be loaded with waste products and to put these on board a vessel in a stack containing genuine empties could easily initiate a stack collapse. It was also pointed out that there was a strong case for weighing unaccompanied trailers before they are loaded on freight RoRo vessels. This is already mandatory on RoPax vessels carrying 12 or more passengers.

Security experts also point out that an explosive device placed in an empty container would stand a better chance of being detected if empties had to be weighed. So far, the WSC and ICS have only shown concern regarding overweight containers. They should expect representations from various quarters demanding that all containers should be weighed. The real issue here is actually the misdeclaration of container weights, not just under declaration of cargo.

The UK P&I Club’s Communications Director, Nick Whitear says he feels stakeholders should start to consider their options immediately commenting:

“Any new legislation will require carriers to change their systems so that they can accept this new data and be ready to act when inaccurate weights are detected. Also, if they are not doing so already, ship owners need to start educating their customers about the importance of making accurate weight declarations so as to avoid any problems in the ports.”

For assistance with freight forwarding houston texas , please contact pack n send at 713 266 1450.

INTERNATIONAL freight traffic rose 5.4 per cent in November 2010 leaving the volume for the November equal to pre-recession levels of early 2008. Freight load factor ended at 55.2 per cent for the month.

This is an apparently rapid slowdown from the 14.5 per cent growth in freight in October. However, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) says its figures were partially skewed because of the exceptionally rapid rise in traffic volumes recorded during the fourth quarter of 2009. However, when viewed in absolute terms, air travel fell by 0.8 per cent and airfreight fell by 1.1 per cent between October and November last year.

This slower growth does not necessarily signal a negative trend. Even with the decline in November, passenger and freight traffic are still expanding at annualised rates of between five to six per cent, which is in line with the industry’s historical growth trend.

“The industry is shifting gears in the recovery cycle. Growth is slowing towards normal historical levels in the five to six per cent range,” said Giovanni Bisignani, IATA’s chief executive officer. “Relative weakness in developed markets is being offset by the momentum of economic expansion in developing markets. We see a strong end to 2010 that boosted the year’s profit forecast to US$15.1 billion. Slowing traffic growth is in line with our projections for a reduced profit of $9.1 billion in 2011. That’s a 1.5 per cent margin. More hard work will be needed in the New Year to achieve sustainable levels of profitability.”

Asia-Pacific carriers showed a 4.1 per cent year-on-year increase, a similar amount to that they did at the pre-recession peak of 2008. Middle Eastern carriers saw 12.4 per cent year-on-year growth for November, 14 per cent more than the pre-recession peak in early 2008, North American carriers showed 1.5 per cent year-on-year growth in November, but overall volumes remain 7 per cent below the pre-recession levels of early 2008. European carriers experienced a similar pattern with 6.6 per cent year-on-year growth in November but overall volumes remaining 12 per cent below pre-recession levels.

Pack n send has reprinted this article from Cargo News as a service to our customers. For information about cargo and freight shipping, please contact pack n send at 713 266 1450.

As reported on news stations in Houston, Texas, the port of Houston had a spoill of beef fat.  The spill of 15,000 gallons came from a ruptured storage tank according to the United States Coast Guard.  The beef fat spilled into a water way. Due to the location of of the spill, there will be minimum interruptions to the flow of ships.

There has been no notificationas to when the  northern  end of the Houston Ship  Channel will re open.  The  affected sections is less than a mile in length.  No reports of delays have been reported at this time. The beef fat is expected to be cleaned up quickly and without much delay.

 We are providing information below about the Port of Houston. This information is taken directly from their website and is helpful when planning shipments out of the port.

The Port of Houston is a 25-mile-long complex of diversified public and private facilities located just a few hours' sailing time from the Gulf of Mexico. The port is ranked first in the United States in foreign waterborne tonnage (14 consecutive years); first in U.S. imports (19 consecutive years); second in U.S. export tonnage and second in the U.S. in total tonnage (19 consecutive years).

The Port of Houston is made up of the Port of Houston Authority and the 150-plus private industrial companies along the Houston Ship Channel. All together, the port authority and its neighbors along the ship channel are a large and vibrant component of the regional economy.

More than 220 million tons of cargo moved through the Port of Houston in 2009. More than 7,700 vessel calls were recorded at the Port of Houston during the year 2009. The Houston Pilots navigate each vessel through the Houston Ship Channel.

The Port of Houston has an impressive listing of firsts, from unloading the world's first container ship to becoming the country's first port to receive ISO 14001 compliance.

For more information about shipping cargo out of the Port of Houston, please feel free to contact pack n send at 713 266 1450.

RFID technology is being tested and implemented for both freight and cargo shipping. Both location monitoring and temperature monitoring of shipments are being tested. Pack n send is supplying this article from Handy Shipping  Guide as a service to our customers.

 WORLDWIDE – Many freight forwarders and shipping lines are familiar by now with the relatively new technology known as RFID, radio-frequency identification. There are three systems employed in the identification of tags carrying chips loaded with whatever information is required; passive, active and battery assisted passive. Up to now their use has been limited to such things as identifying cargo to upload information such as current position etc. into freight tracking systems using mostly passive chips, but now the potential uses of these systems is being explored more thoroughly.

At the cutting edge of RFID is German company Siemens who are investigating in several different fields, all relevant to the freight and haulage industries. Since 2008 scientists at Siemens Corporate Technology have been exploring a research project known as SKRIBT — (German acronym for “Protection of Critical Bridges and Tunnels on Roads”) in which ten partners from government agencies, industry, and research institutes are participating in a three year scheme funded by the German Ministry of Education and Research.

Put simply when a truck hits a bridge, or ignites in a tunnel, the damage can be almost incalculable; when a truck caught fire in the Eurotunnel under the English Channel in November 1996 temperatures reached 1,000 °Celsius, causing immense structural damage and suspending full operations for six months. The problem is being addressed by using thermal imaging technology but the situation is greatly compounded when hazardous goods are involved.

By using new RFID transponders developed by Siemens, sensors can analyse the information on a trucks Hazchem plate which carries the relevant chip. This can be done several kilometres before the tunnel entrance and the information sent instantly to the tunnel control centre which is then equipped to respond in exactly the right way should an incident occur or to prevent the truck entering if other unsuitable goods are already transiting the tunnel.

The new system is ‘active’ and can transmit its signal to the unit’s reading device over a distance of around 50 metres as opposed to a conventional ‘passive’ system, with a six metre range, as is used in many cargo monitoring systems. The hazardous plate’s chip has a built-in battery and transmits in the high-frequency range of 2.45 gigahertz. To ensure the battery lasts as long as possible, the transmitter in the transponder sleeps until it’s woken by a radio pulse issued by the reading device at the checkpoint.

Siemens use a cryptochip employing an encryption technique they previously developed for passive RFID chips which ensures the RFID data cannot be intercepted or falsified. This is not the only way RFID is finding its way into the supply chain however.

In a separate project and in cooperation with other partners Siemens are pioneering an RFID system that provides continuous monitoring of sensitive consignments. The technology is already used by DB Schenker to monitor the condition of extremely delicate air freight cargo. Temperature of some items is the vital factor and the new chips react if this varies beyond predefined limits. The chips are currently being used in several German hospitals to monitor arriving blood supplies to ensure they have been maintained at a tolerable temperature and that they are within the usable dates.

It seems that RFID technology is only just starting to make itself felt within society and, once again, the freight and supply chain industry is liable to be at the cutting edge as it develops as was the case with other advances such as popularising facsimile machines, bar coding etc.

For more information about freight and cargo shipping in Houston and the US, please feel free to contact pack n send at 713 266 1450.

Pack n send is posting this article  from Air  Cargo News. It is another in our series of articles about air cargo and freight shipping security. It presents  a logical argument to the question about 100 per cent air cargo screening.

 “KILLING the airfreight industry with draconian security procedures would be giving the terrorists a result they would long to see,” says Andrew Traill, managing partner of Shippers’ Voice, a logistics advocacy and information portal.

He says 100 per cent scanning of airfreight would not only harm international trade, it would be ineffective,

“The most effective way to detect and deter anyone intending to use airfreight to carry out an attack is through intelligence,” he says. “There are regulations now in the US and Europe, that require information about the freight, its origins and destination, the people handling it and its route to be sent in advance of its arrival.

“This means in practice that most air cargo carriers will not want to even take off before being sure that the freight they carry has been cleared by the security authorities.”

Traill says that enabling people in the chain to perform security checks and maintain the security through the transport chain, (themselves authorised to do so based on the systems and practices they deploy), is not a weakness of security but a strength.

“Provided the system is properly policed, this multi-tiered approach to security in air freight is far more effective than scanning everything, especially when we know the technology is not perfect, and watching the airfreight industry collapse under the weight of delays and excessive costs.”

He admits that some of these programmes are still being implemented around Europe and indeed elsewhere around the world. “But the industry and the authorities are getting their act together, and increasing the quantity, standard and variety of security procedures being implemented. Now is not the time to undermine these initiatives in any knee jerk reaction to the latest threat,” he says.

“The industry must be robust in its defence of current and developing practices or else risk facing unworkable, costly and pointless security measures which will be no better and possibly worse than what we have and are developing today.”

 For more information about air cargo and freight shipping, please feel free to contact pack n send at 713 266 1450.

Pack n send is posting this article from Air Cargo News as an article in our continuing series on cargo and freight security.  While this article does not offer specific regulations, it does show that the European Union is working in a diligent and thoughtful manner before instituting new measures.

EUROPE plans to introduce tough new security regulations in the wake of the airfreight bomb scares last month.

EU transport vice-president, Siim Kallas (right), is taking part in a series of high-level meetings to discuss the changes.

“We need new rules on security controls of cargo and mail from third countries, so I intend to propose legislation early next year on transfer cargo originating outside the EU,” he said.

“We must also move more quickly to tighten EU requirements for supply chain security. We must expand inspection programmes, to ensure that these requirements are implemented properly,” he added.

Fortunately, Kallas is building a reputation for reasonable solutions, unlike many other politicians and members of the popular press around the world.

“We should not fall into the trap of overreacting with new across-the-board screening and control procedures,” he said. “That would paralyse both the aviation industry and our economies, which rely on fast and reliable air cargo services. That would be a victory for our opponents, who would probably still find another loophole somewhere. We must be confident but not complacent.”

For more information on shipping from Houston, the United States and Europe, please feel free to contact pack n send at  713 266 1450.

Pack n send is posting the important ship dates for your holiday gifts for the gifts you are shipping with in the United States and for international destinations.

At the current time we have we are able to provide Fed Ex and UPS holiday deadlines. As soon as DHL releases their shipping deadlines either by region or country we will post them on our blog.

While overnight shipping is always an alternative, we suggest that whenever possible that you bring in your holiday shipment early. This will help save you money and avoid the holiday shipping lines.

Any UPS Next day air packages picked up on December 24 will be delivered on December 28.

UPS packages shipped December 24 will have normal delivery service of air, international and ground packages.

UPS has suspended the Ups Ground and Ups Standard package guaranteed delivery for picked up or scheduled for delivery December 13-December 25.

 Packages delivered on December 24 are guaranteed as transit day only for UPS air and International packages only.

There will be no UPS ground pick up service on December 24.

Federal Express Guarantees are as follows:

Last day for guaranteed delivery of overnight packages- 12/23 ship date

Last day for shipping fed Ex 2 Day- 12/22 ship date Last day guarantee for shipping Fed Ex Express saver 12/21 ship date

Last day for guaranteed shipping Fed Ex ground or Fed Ex home delivery 12/17

We have listed only ground and air carriers.

 For information about freight, cargo, or container shipping deadlines, please feel free to email us at sales@pack-n-send.com  or use our phone number provided below.

For more information about holiday shipping or holiday shipping deadlines, please feel free to contact pack n send at 713 266 1450 or use the email address provided above.

When looking for someone to ship your car, make sure that they can ship for dealers, companies, and individuals.

Individuals taking vacations during summer may want to ship their vehicle to the destination as well as have it returned at the end of the stay.  This helps teenagers learning to drive continue to practice on the car that they will drive when going back to school in the fall.

If you are shipping overseas, make sure the auto shipper researches both containerized shipping as well as roll on roll off service.  Need the car shipped back to the states? Make sure your shipper has this capability as well.

Some other reasons for vehicle shipping may include:

• Corporate relocation
• Private or dealer auto sales
• Death of a family member 
• A cross-country or international move

No matter what the reason for your car shipping needs you need to locate someone with experience. If the price you are offered is too low, you may want to consider doing research on the company offering this low price.

Door to Door Vehicle Shipping

Convenience and customer satisfaction  should be the companies highest priorities.

Make sure to get an auto shipping quote before you ship your car.  If you request that the car be placed inside a container, make sure the company you are using has experience shipping cars.  The company you are contacting should always ask for make, model and year of the car.  They also need to let you know that the modifications to the vehicle must be taken off before loading.

No personal goods may be placed inside the car for shipping. 
The gas tank must contain less than 1/8 a tank of gas.

Pick up and delivery times should be scheduled by the shipping company.

1. Make sure that when shipping domestically, you are offered both door to door and  terminal to terminal service.

For more information about auto shipping both within the United States and internationally, please feel free to contact pack n send at 713 266 1450.

  Pack n send is reprinting this article from today’s Houston Chronicle. Since this will directly impact both incoming and out going ships, it is important to note that there will be cargo delays at the Port of Houston this week.

 By ZAIN SHAUK
HOUSTON CHRONICLE

A set of barges crashed into an electrical tower Sunday in the Port of Houston, prompting the U.S. Coast Guard to shut down most of the nation’s second-largest maritime shipping complex, possibly until Wednesday.

A towing vessel pushing three barges of scrap metal through the Houston Ship Channel about 6 a.m. hit a 300-foot-tall electrical tower, which carries lines across the artery, said Petty Officer Richard Brahm, a spokesman for the Coast Guard. No injuries were reported.

The crash happened at the narrowest point in the waterway, leaving three-fourths of the port’s terminals inaccessible.

“Maybe if it was wider we could have got boats around it, but it’s not, so it’s a logistical problem,” Brahm said. “It’s a bad place for it to happen.”

There was no risk of electricity-related injuries or effects to the power grid, which is owned by Houston-based CenterPoint Energy, because lines in the area were deactivated prior to the crash for maintenance work, said Penny Todd, a spokeswoman for the company.

CenterPoint was in the process Sunday of moving equipment needed to clear the steel tower and cables from the waterway — work the company expects will be completed Wednesday, she said.

The 25-mile-long port complex is a major economic engine for the region and in 2009 handled more waterborne tonnage than any port in the country, according to the Port of Houston Authority.

About 60 ships carrying $322 million in goods and resources — ranging from crude oil to finished products in containers — move through the port each day, said Chief Warrant Officer Lionel Bryant, a spokesman for the Coast Guard.

19 miles closed

Items shipped through the Port of Houston move to and from destinations in every state, which could mean delays for companies with vessels in the water.

Those ships will have to drop anchor and wait until the steel electrical tower, which was propped up by the barges after the accident, is removed.

At least eight ships were waiting in an anchoring area outside the port after the crash. Five others were waiting to leave.

The Coast Guard closed 19 miles out of the 54-mile-long ship channel, leaving more than 100 terminals — including those for oil giants Shell and Valero — cut off from the sea.

Further delays possible

The few accessible terminals are mostly for container ships and will not be usable by most companies that would need other infrastructure for loading and unloading or that had planned to arrive at terminals north of the crash site, said Tom Pace, presiding officer of Houston Ship Pilots, a labor association.

Three days of backups could result in further delays, even as traffic begins moving through the port again, Pace said.
“It’s going to take probably three days to get everything back to normal after that,” he said.

Crew members from the towing vessel, the T/V Safety Quest, were removed from the boat and tested for drugs and alcohol.

It was unclear how the accident occurred, but the tower’s location has long been known to ship pilots who work in the port, Pace said.

It was one of six towers in the channel, but was the closest to the preferred waterway for traffic.
“The one problem is the tower’s really close to the navigable channel,” Pace said. “That’s probably one of the reasons it had happened.”

For more information about shipping cargo and freight receiving through the Port of Houston, please contact pack n send at 713 266 1450.

Pack n Send is reprinting this article posted in the Handy  Shipping Guide.  Seeing the United States plan ahead and have freight systems ready when up date to the Panama Canal is complete is quite an accomplishment.

It is  true; they do thing US – It’s s bigger in the States. In the olden, golden days of pioneering it was the railroads that opened up the country enabling the shipping of vital supplies to all parts of the territory, no matter how remote. This week saw the first freight containers carried on a tortuous, winding route through the Appalachian Mountains to Columbus, Ohio on a track that previously could only cope with the old, low height, coal carrying gondolas.

In an ambitious project costing almost $200 million (train operator Norfolk Southern put up half the money, matched by the federal government with a little help from the state authorities in Ohio and Virginia) they scooped out twenty eight tunnels, shifting power cables and strengthening bridges to accommodate rail cars loaded with double stacked shipping containers, cutting a day off the transit time and saving the nations roads from around 150 truckloads, half a double stacked freight train load.

The entire project, known as the ‘Heartland Corridor’ is part of a battle to upgrade and improve services and increase competition with road haulage services and to prepare for the $5.25 billion worth of improvements to upscale the Panama Canal which will be completed in 2014-15. The canal operators are enlarging capacity in an attempt to increase traffic before the viability of the North East passage becomes a reality for many of the freight carriers.

Norfolk Southern intend to seize their share of the extra containers carried in via Panama, as do intermodal rivals CSX in Florida who have a similar tunnel excavation scheme in progress to increase their own efficiency.

 For more information about freight shipping within the United States and international cargo shipping, please contact pack n send at 713 266 1450.

Somalia-News just in as 24 US marines operating in the Gulf of Aden stormed a freight vessel today and, without firing a shot apparently, capturing the nine pirates and rescuing the eleven man crew. The German owned M V Magellan Star, an 8,000 tonne DWT general cargo and sometime container ship flagged in Antigua & Barbuda was en route from Spain to Singapore when she was intercepted transiting the Gulf.

When the pirates swarmed aboard the crew had already put out a distress call and retreated to a safe room in the engine compartment where they communicated with the ships agents by satellite telephone link after killing the engines. The pirates were confused when they used an emergency link to speak to the managing agents who apparently told them the crew were ‘on holiday’.

The pirates then apparently went on a wrecking spree presumably frustrated by their lack of success and inability to control the ship. Meanwhile a team from the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit's Maritime Raid Force aboard the USS Dubuque, and heading for an joint exercise with Jordanian troops, rerouted, arriving near the captured vessel during the night. Before daybreak two dozen marines in fast RIB’s and supported by two helicopters, launched their own attack.

As the helicopters flooded the ship’s deck in light the troops scaled the hull of the Magellan Star, much as the pirates had, and succeeded in capturing the dazed and divided villains without having to shoot anyone. The problem came when the US marines first had to find the hidden crew, then convince them their ordeal was over.

Reportedly the crew only condescended to open up when the Americans cut an access hole and pushed through a stars and stripes uniform patch through the steel panel. The troops took a number of AK 47’s from the pirates and now have the problem of what to do with them. There have been similar successes before but mostly by foreign troops unattached to the EUNAVFOR anti piracy mission or pirates caught in the open.

Pack n send has reprinted this article from the Handy Shipping   Guide. Pack n send ships freight and cargo worldwide and commends the US marines for their fast and safe actions.

For more information about our international freight shipping, please contact pack n send at 713 266 1450.

While freight train derailments are unusual in Texas, this article show that more than freight can be affected.  Since both passenger trains and freight trains share the same rails, service interruptions can occur when either service is halted.

Most small freight from our warehouse is taken via truck and boat.

FORT WORTH — A freight train derailment overnight has interrupted Trinity Railway Express commuter rail service between Fort Worth and Dallas.

Three of seven cars carrying coal overturned near downtown Fort Worth around midnight Sunday. The cars were part of the BNSF freight train, which shares the Union Pacific tracks with the TRE.

The transit agency, which is jointly operated by The T and DART, says it will be Wednesday morning before regular service resumes.

Trains will operate no further than the Richland Hills station until then. Buses will ferry TRE passengers between Richland Hills and the rail line's ITC and T&P stations in downtown Fort Worth.

TRE officials say commuters can expect delays until regular service is restored.

Pack n send ships most of its small freight via truck, air and boat.

For information about freight and  cargo from Houston, please feel free to contact pack n send at 713 266 1450.

 This  article is taken from ABC news in Dallas.

This article  from Business Week  highlights some of the dangers now associated with  freight shipping.  It discusses the measures being taken to protect both cargo and lives.

 The U.S. says it wants to find cheaper options to battle pirates off the coast of Somalia, as an international naval force has pushed the seaborne brigands from the 1 million square miles of the Gulf of Aden into an area twice that size in the Indian Ocean.

"The locus of pirate activity has shifted and we are trying to deal with it," Tom Countryman, the principal deputy assistant secretary of state for political   military   affairs, said in Washington today. "It's expensive, and that's why we feel strongly the need to pursue the lowest-cost options to deter piracy."

Warships from more than 20 nations have kept a shipping corridor open and nearly free of attacks for the 30,000 cargo ships that pass through it annually, Countryman said. There were 198 attacks last year, 50 of them successful, and seven vessels with 160 crew members are known to be held by pirates, the State Department said in an e-mailed statement. There's been only one successful hijacking of a ship in the Gulf of Aden since last summer, Countryman said.

Aerial drones, manned aircraft and satellite  surveillance  could help track shipping and pirate activity off the coast of East Africa, Countryman said.

Defensive Measures

Defensive measures taken by ship owners and crews are "the lowest-cost and most-effective way to deter pirate attacks," Countryman said. Measures can include using firehoses to fend off pirate skiffs, erecting barbed wire at entry points to the ship and   teaching   the crew to take evasive action when potential pirates are in sight.

Rebuilding Somalia's economy, shattered by two decades of civil war, and going after the organized crime syndicates that finance the attacks are the best ways to halt piracy, said Countryman.

"The economic situation in Somalia has led to a situation in which people will take these kinds of very high-risk efforts -- very high-risk criminal activities -- in order to feed their family," Countryman said.

"The people deriving the primary benefit are not the poor Somali fishermen," he said. "They are the capitalists who have financed the acquisition of boats  and put these young men into the risky position of endangering their own lives in search of some money."

For more information on safe freight shipping, please contact pack n send at 713 266 1450.

www.pack-n-send.com

Packages are flying out the door filled with Valentine Day presents.  This year, our customers are sending candy, games, toys and cards.

Today is a good day to ship your Valentine Day treats.

For more information on Valentine Day shipping, please call pack n send.

713 266 1450

http://www.pack-n-send.com/