When you are in the process of moving a home office, you may discover the process can be more complicated then moving your entire home. Packing an office requires some tedious preparation and organization.

Your home office probably has a lot of items that you may or may not need throughout the moving process. You never want to find yourself searching through many different boxes in search of one thing. Instead, organizing yourself before you begin the packing process is key to having a smooth move. 

The first thing you will want to do is write out a list of items you know you'll need throughout the move. These are going to be the very last things you pack. Then you will want to develop a list of non essential items that you can pack up and not need throughout the process. 

It may seem like no items are non essential, but you'd be amazed on the numerous items you'll pack up. Usually the items that are not generally needed at all times are such things as printers, writing tools, paper (leave some out just in case), files and various items that generally sit and grow dust. 

Another thing you'll want to consider when doing a small home office move is going through and getting rid of the things you no longer need or use. This will help minimize the number of things you are moving. Also check to see if some things need renewed. By renewing some of the old you could diminish the amount of things you are moving initially. 

When you are moving to a new location this could mean you have the opportunity to do many upgrades to your office equipment and supplies. Take this as an advantage point for you and your business. 

Keeping yourself organized with a small home office move can seem like a very difficult process, but it can be done. If you're worried that the process may be overwhelming for you, consider hiring us to help you move.

Pack n Send can easily get you packed up, moved and unpacked quickly. The entire process can be managed for you, making your move worry-free.

We know how hard it can be moving an office, a home and any other space requiring a move. This is why we've dedicated ourselves to helping people nationwide with their moving needs. We will take all the hard work out of it for you. You have the option to utilize our packaging services or purchase discounted packing and moving supplies. Your move will become much less complicated with Pack n Send helping you through each step of the process. 

Organization is key to a smooth move and we will do exactly this for you and your small home office move. 

Once again pack n send is able to report new purchases for airplanes used for freight transpiration.  As reported by Air Cargo News, Qatar airlines has ordered two new 777’s.  This combined with its previous order bring the total to five new air freighters.

 These planes are both fuel efficient and cost twenty per cent less in operating costs. It is  nine teen percent lighter, and this translates into the cost savings.

 Qatar’s first order for 777 came in just 2007.

Pack n send continually monitors worldwide purchases both airplanes and cargo ships.

 The past few months have provided a continuation of the ordering improvement that began in the fall of last year. Freight and cargo shipment are a prediction of the worldwide economic environment  Seeing companies continually  increase orders in these areas is a positive economic signal.

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

Pack n send has reprinted portions this article on the dot med website. This article was written  by: Brendon Nafziger, DOTmed News Associate Editor

  While in the past used medical equipment is shipped country wide,  and up north to Canada, we can for see shipments of equipment now heading towards Japan. 

 Pack n send ships medical equipment world wide, as well as freight, cargo and container of goods.

 For information about shipping medical equipment to Japan, please contact us 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.

 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.

 With larger ships coming into and leaving the Panama Canal, east coast US ports are struggling to improve their shipping capabilities. Ports will need 50 feet of water to navigate when ships are fully loaded.

 Ports like Savannah, New York and Miami are working in expansions so that they can handle new larger ships. Federal monies will be needed to complete these projects. This is at a time when “earmarks” for one state over another is frowned upon.  Widening and deepening ports along the US east coast is good for both jobs and the nation as a whole.

 The government does not anticipate that every east coast port will need to have the deeper depth as well as wider dimensions.

 Any improvements to United States shipping will help the US economy as a whole.  Dredging and widening these ports will also mean more us jobs.

 Pack n send tries to keep our customers informed about freight forwarding from Houston, Cargo shipping from Houston, and shipping and packing from Houston. As we watch the Port of Houston grow and improve, improvements to east coast ports can only help the US economy.

 For information about shipping from Houston, and the Port of Houston, please contact pack n send at 713 266 1450.

Pack n send crates and packs in Houston Texas.  We ship freight and cargo in Houston.  We also prepare and ship pallets in Houston.  But…one of the most exciting locations in Houston is the Port of Houston.  Their free tours are quite a treat both for the locals and visitors alike.  We have listed the details below for our customers and highly suggest you take both your customers and families on this tour.

Named for the legendary military commander who led the fight for Texas independence from Mexico and later statehood, the M/V Sam Houston offers free leisurely 90-minute round-trip cruises along the Houston Ship Channel.

Embarking from the port's Sam Houston Pavilion, visiting sightseers aboard the M/V Sam Houston can enjoy passing views of international cargo vessels, and operations at the port's Turning Basin Terminal. The 95-ft. vessel has capacity for up to 90 passengers and features air-conditioned lounge seating as well as standing room outside on the boat's rear deck
.
The M/V Sam Houston has been operating as the Port of Houston's public tour vessel since its first voyage on July 30, 1958. In 2010, the vessel received new low-emission fuel engines and a new generator. The environmental upgrades were made possible through grants from the Texas Emissions Reduction Plan and American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding through EPA's National Clean Diesel Funding Assistance Program.

Make your reservations now for this rich educational experience.

COST
The tour is free.  Reservations on a first-come, first-serve basis are required at least 24 hours in advance. 

RESERVATIONS
Register online any time, or call 713-670-2416, Mondays through Thursdays between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.

Pack n send has reprinted this information from the Port  of Houston website as a service to our customers.

For more information about shipping, packing, crating and freight forwarding in Houston, Texas, please call pack n send 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.

 MORE than three-quarters of IATA members reported an increase in cargo business during Q4 2010, the association says amidst a cautiously positive forecast for this year.

While IATA members expect a profit for 2011, factors such as rising fuel prices mean confidence in further significant improvement has taken a hit, the association’s quarterly survey finds.

By November 2010 the volume of international freight tonne kilometres was up more than 20 per cent on a year-to-date basis compared to the same period in 2009. The recovery in traffic, driven by the pickup in world trade, has almost been as sharp as the fall experienced going into the recession.

Freight volumes reached a new post-recession peak in May 2010 but dropped back by mid-year as the restocking phase of the inventory cycle came to a close. Since then volumes have stabilised in line with the level seen immediately prior to the recession.

In the latest survey the proportion of respondents expecting further improvement in airfreight volumes over the 12 months ahead remains around 60 per cent – indicating that continued growth beyond restocking stimulus is seen as likely this year.

Expectations for cargo yields over the 12 months ahead point to stability with 57 per cent of respondents reporting ‘no-change’ likely. Freight growth is moderating back towards the rate of global trade growth while capacity is entering at a faster rate which will put downward pressure on load factors and temper further rises in yields.

Pack n send has reprinted this article from Air Cargo News as a service to our customers.

 Any article showing improvements and upward swings in the worldwide economy are good for both Houston shipping and shipping worldwide.

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

 This article from the Wall Street Journal has peaked our interest. While freight and cargo carrriers are consolidating operations and making green choices, the USPS is now taking huge steps for more efficeint and cost effective operations. 

HOLMES MILL, Ky.—The U.S. Postal Service plays two roles in America: an agency that keeps rural areas linked to the rest of the nation, and one that loses a lot of money.

Now, with the red ink showing no sign of stopping, the postal service is hoping to ramp up a cost-cutting program that is already eliciting yelps of pain around the country. Beginning in March, the agency will start the process of closing as many as 2,000 post offices, on top of the 491 it said it would close starting at the end of last year. In addition, it is reviewing another 16,000—half of the nation's existing post offices—that are operating at a deficit, and lobbying Congress to allow it to change the law so it can close the most unprofitable among them. The law currently allows the postal service to close post offices only for maintenance problems, lease expirations or other reasons that don't include profitability.

The news is crushing in many remote communities where the post office is often the heart of the town and the closest link to the rest of the country. Shuttering them, critics say, also puts an enormous burden on people, particularly on the elderly, who find it difficult to travel out of town.

The postal service argues that its network of some 32,000 brick-and-mortar post offices, many built in the horse-and-buggy days, is outmoded in an era when people are more mobile, often pay bills online and text or email rather than put pen to paper. It also wants post offices to be profitable to help it overcome record $8.5 billion in losses in fiscal year 2010.

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

EUROPE – Flagship, the Pan European maritime transport project part funded by the EU, claim they have now developed software that can forecast the condition of a ship’s hull over time to help improve the efficacy of surveys and reduce the amount of time a vessel is out of service. The consortium of various stakeholders from the freight and shipping and academic sectors say their new hull condition assessment is designed to accurately predict the condition of a vessel’s structure, coating and components, enabling ship owners and operators to schedule maintenance in a more efficient manner and thereby reduce maintenance costs while improving safety at sea.

The system, known as Flagship-HCA is intended to extend the life of the existing fleet of Tankers and Bulk Carriers by up to five years, with a 10% to 20% reduction in service repair costs for ships throughout their life-cycle. One of the primary concerns for ship owners and Class societies is that of corrosion of the ship’s structure and this is the target of the new system.

Flagship-HCA includes three primary tools which enable the ship owner and classifier to exchange hull data in real time, based on crew inspections and maintenance work as well as periodic measurement campaigns. Firstly, the toolset includes the Survey Advisor Tool (SAT) which advises surveyors where individual ships are most vulnerable and therefore where they should concentrate their investigations.

Secondly, the Hull Health Programme Advisor (HHA) optimises the survey and maintenance programme taking in to consideration the vessel’s work schedule and the predicted structural integrity of the vessel. Finally, the Corrosion Parameter Prediction Tool which takes the results of a survey or set of surveys and update a database if corrosion parameters associated with every aspect of a ship’s hull – based on observed rules and results.

Designed to assist ship owners and surveyors Flagship-HCA enables ship owners to schedule vessel maintenance and ship replacement more accurately than has been possible to date. Its objectives include not only optimising existing asset lifecycle and investment decisions but can also provide the Class Societies with more robust data upon which to base their rulings.

The project was led by the BMT Group in the UK and was supported, delivered and trialled in conjunction with Marintek of Norway; Bureau Veritas and Sirehna of France, Germanischer Lloyd of Germany and Portline - Transportes Marítimos Internacionais, of Portugal. Mr Herman de Meester, Coordinator of Flagship, commented:

“Flagship has pursued the twin objectives of reducing still further both risk and the environmental impact of the world’s commercial fleet whilst generating the opportunity for real commercial benefits. Flagship-HCA is a tangible example of the maritime industry collaborating to improve performance and efficiency in everyone’s best interests.”

By extending the life of ships, we can all help our environment.  We have reprinted this article from the  Handy  Shipping  Guide as a service to our customers.

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

As reported in earlier blogs, the shipping industry looks towards environmental concerns when shipping cargo.  This article found in the Handy Shipping  Guide highlighs Maersks efforts to improve our environment.

FRANCE – DENMARK – This week the fourth annual European Business Awards held in Paris saw shipping group  A. P.  Moller- Maersk scoop the “Environmental Awareness Award” in recognition of their policies, strategies and innovations in the field. In common with many freight and logistics groups Maersk have shown themselves to be prepared to explore every avenue in an attempt to reduce the impact of their activities on the environment.

The winners were chosen by a select jury of politicians, entrepreneurs, academics and industrialists of different nationalities who reasoned the award with Maersk's integration of environmental sustainability into the business strategy, and especially Maersk Line’s commitment to transparency and open innovation. Søren Stig Nielsen, Head of Maersk Line Sustainability, accepted the award on behalf of the Group.

Slow steaming, where vessels slow down to conserve fuel, has contributed significantly to Maersk's environmental goals, and the work continues. Maersk Line's aim is to cut CO2 emissions, per container transported, by 25% in 2020 compared with 2007 levels. The company say one added benefit of slow steaming is that it allows the box carrier to schedule its deliveries more precisely because vessels can slow down or speed up in order to arrive on time.

The Handy Shipping Guide has frequently highlighted the efforts by Maersk to improve shipping’s ecological image in fields from   fuel experimentation and   ship design container handling equipment to  and many in the freight industry will feel it is good to see such sterling work by at least one logistics specialist group rewarded.

The European Business Awards define the Environmental Awareness Award thus:

‘This award goes to an organisation that can best demonstrate a company-wide commitment to minimising its impact on the environment, alongside significant success in minimising its carbon footprint. Judges look for evidence of a clearly articulated, widely communicated environmental strategy embedded into the company’s business practices. Policies that improve business performance from an environmental perspective and innovative approaches to environmental management will be rewarded. Judges will also look for measurable evidence of how organisations have actively reduced their carbon footprint.’

Photo: Søren Stig Nielsen accepted the award in the company of Jules Kortenhorst (right) CEO of the European Climate Foundation.

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

When shipping marble furniture, there are a few important things to consider.  First and foremost if it the marble can be removed from the piece of furniture.  You need to look for a company that has the capability to remove the marble. They also must have the ability to custom build a crate to place the marble in for shipping. Below we have listed some standard guidelines for crating the marble.

Depending on the size and fragility of the piece the crater should use up to 3 inches of Styrofoam on the bottom of the crate and 1-2 inches of Styrofoam on the sides and top. Before putting the piece into the crate, make sure that the marble has double or triple bubble surrounding it.

The crate should be closed with staples on the bottom and screws should be put on the top for easy opening.

Metal banding should be secured  around the crate.

 The company that you choose to crate your marble should offer both on site crating as well as crating at their facility.  The company should have a preferred list of shipping companies, as well as preferred movers for your delicate marble.  The company needs to offer valuation protection for your marble piece.

 For more information on marble shipping, please feel free to contact pack n send at 713 266 1450.

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 posting this article from the Houston Chronicle.  This is the most current update on the closure of the Houston ship channel.  While it was anticipated that the ship channel would be open this morning, it looks like there is a slight delay.

 Ship Channel closure could be lifted today

By ZAIN SHAUK and JENALIA MORENO
HOUSTON CHRONICLE

Problems clearing electrical tower delayed plans to reopen sooner

 After encountering unexpected difficulties Tuesday in clearing a damaged electrical tower from the Houston Ship Channel, workers hope today to end a three-day bottleneck at the Port of Houston.

At least 70 ships, including 33 oil tankers, were waiting Tuesday to leave or dock at the port. The U.S. Coast Guard cut off access to about three-fourths of the 150 terminals Sunday after a tug pushing three barges crashed into the 300-foot-tall electrical tower.

An average of two dozen vessels move through the port daily, generating about $322 million in economic activity.

Houston-area refiners receive crude oil shipments through the channel and have said that so far they've been able to continue operations using oil already on hand.

"Certainly having the Ship Channel open will improve conditions for everyone and we're eager to see the channel opened as quickly as possible," said David Harpole, a spokesman for LyondellBasell.

Valero had not expected a crude shipment before today, and a spokesman said its operations were not affected.

Unexpected delays

The Coast Guard and CenterPoint Energy, which owns the tower, had hoped to reopen the channel Tuesday night, but faced delays in cutting down some of the 14 cables — including 12 high-voltage wires — from the damaged structure, which was leaning precariously on one of the barges involved in the collision

An investigation continues into the cause of Sunday's accident.

Tuesday afternoon, a crew of 40 using four barges, two cranes and three tugboats was removing a cable from the tower when the cable hung up on other equipment, one of several unexpected delays, said Capt. Marcus Woodring, the Coast Guard's sector commander in the Houston-Galveston area.

"That's going to take a little while to untangle," he said. "It's not a showstopper, it'll get untangled, but it's just one of those unforeseen things."

No electricity was flowing through the lines.

After removing the cables, CenterPoint was expected to begin an operation to sever the steel tower from its crumpled base in the waterway, Woodring said.

"We have a shearing tool — like a hydraulic cutter — that hopefully will cut through the legs very easily and then we'll be able to lay the tower down on a barge," he said.

"We have a shearing tool — like a hydraulic cutter — that hopefully will cut through the legs very easily and then we'll be able to lay the tower down on a barge," he said.

Some optimism

Meantime, shipping companies awaited word on when they can resume transiting the channel.

"Every day that goes on, it gets more and more serious and there are more backups," said Niels Aalund, vice president of the West Gulf Maritime Association, which represents 183 shipping industry firms. Still, he said, "there's optimism that this can get opened up quickly."

Buffalo Marine Service, a Houston bunkering company, continues to work in terminals that remain open in Galveston and Texas City. But its business in the closed area of the channel has come to a halt.

"If there aren't any ships coming in that need fuel, we don't have much work to do," said company Vice President Chuck King.

For information about Houston shipping, crating and freighting, please contact pack n send at 713 266 1450.

 Pack n send is publishing this article taken from the Handy   Shipping News to show that weather and natural delays in freight do not only occur in the Untied States.

NEW ZEALAND – After our story  earlier this month  on the hardships endured in South Island in the wake of the earthquakes there were immediate disruptions the following day (15th September) when landslips on North Island in the Manawatu Gorge closed State Highway 3 to all traffic, including freight trucks. At that time the road was swiftly cleared and reopened within a few hours.

NEW ZEALAND – After our story earlier this month on the hardships endured in South Island in the wake of the earthquakes there were immediate disruptions the following day (15th September) when landslips on North Island in the Manawatu Gorge closed State Highway 3 to all traffic, including freight trucks. At that time the road was swiftly cleared and reopened within a few hours.

Now however the Gorge is closed to rail freight for the next two days at least after a further slip caused a train carrying a cargo of 400,000 litres of milk to derail yesterday (Saturday). The freight train was heading for Palmerston North from Hawkes Bay when upon rounding a bend the driver saw the blocked track. Despite efforts to stop in time the KiwiRail train ran into the earth slip, fortunately with no injuries to the crew. Another train also hit a slip at Taumarunui on Saturday morning, fortunately again with no injuries and no reports of major delays.

Further interruptions to cargo have occurred due to the persistent bad weather which closed State Highway 73 to high sided lorries and caravans when high winds threatened to overbalance tall vehicles and heavy snowfalls occurred in some mountain areas. The outlook however is good for the next few days with dire weather warnings lifted. Meanwhile the stricken milk locomotive remains stranded after the wagons were removed and towed via an alternative line to their destination and efforts to clear the earth fall using other trains continue whilst the main line at Kaikoura is due to open later today after almost two weeks following the massive landslip there.

Now however the Gorge is closed to rail freight for the next two days at least after a further slip caused a train carrying a cargo of 400,000 liters of milk to derail yesterday (Saturday). The freight train was heading for Palmerston North from Hawkes Bay when upon rounding a bend the driver saw the blocked track. Despite efforts to stop in time the KiwiRail train ran into the earth slip, fortunately with no injuries to the crew. Another train also hit a slip at Taumarunui on Saturday morning, fortunately again with no injuries and no reports of major delays.

Further interruptions to cargo have occurred due to the persistent bad weather which closed State Highway 73 to high sided lorries and caravans when high winds threatened to overbalance tall vehicles and heavy snowfalls occurred in some mountain areas. The out look however is good for the next few days with dire weather warnings lifted. Meanwhile the stricken milk locomotive remains stranded after the wagons were removed and towed via an alternative line to their destination and efforts to clear the earth fall using other trains continue whilst the main line at Kaikoura is due to open later today after almost two weeks following the massive landslip there.

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

 While US consumers have opened their pocket books, other countries such as Japan and China are still slow to import as freight and cargo US goods.   Imports of foreign made goods are coming into the United States at a faster rate than last  year. While the President envisions increasing US exports, there is no evidence that this is occurring at a rapid pace.

 Part of the problem appears to be the undervaluation of Chinese currency.  Once their currency is allowed to rise to a more realistic level, the Chinese will have the ability to purchase more goods. This will also of course  increase the cost to US  consumers of Chinese goods.

 While pack n send exports goods for businesses and inviduals, it also monitors currency flucuations around the world. As United States goods become  more reasonably priced in comparison to other countries goods, exports of US made goods will defiantly rise.

 This will be good for US workers and their families.

 For more information on exporting goods made in the United States, 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.